Educational Science

Why multitasking is challenging for kids and older adults

We're all time-poor, so multitasking is seen as a necessity of modern living. We answer work emails while watching TV, make shopping lists in meetings and listen to podcasts when doing the dishes. We attempt to split our attention countless times a day when juggling both mundane and important tasks....

Céline Dion's muscle spasms caused by rare disorder: What is stiff-person syndrome?

Singer Céline Dion was recently diagnosed with a rare neurological disorder called stiff-person syndrome, which has caused her to experience severe muscle spasms, the iconic performer announced Dec. 8 in an Instagram video. We now know this is what's been causing all of the spasms that I've been having, Dion...

A strain of gonorrhea that's resistant to multiple classes of antibiotics recently infected two people in Massachusetts, the state's Department of Public Health announced Thursday (Jan. 19). This is the first time that resistance or reduced response to five classes of antibiotics has been identified in gonorrhea in the United...

'Flow state' uncovered: We finally know what happens in the brain when you're 'in the zone'

Many people know the feeling of being in the zone: As they're fully immersed in a task, the background noise of the world fades and they may not notice time passing. Gymnasts may enter this all-consuming mental state as they're refining a floor routine, an artist might find the zone...

This year's flu shots are a 'very good match' to circulating strains, health officials say

This year's flu shots appear to be a very good match to the circulating influenza strains, health officials say. However, even though flu season got off to an unusually early start, vaccination rates, especially among adults, are lagging those seen this time last year. I can tell you firsthand: This...

FDA approved a 1st-of-its-kind treatment made from human poop. What does it do?

For the first time, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved a treatment that's made using donated human poop, the agency announced Wednesday (Nov. 30). The treatment, called Rebyota, contains gut bacteria collected from the stool of healthy human donors and is approved for the prevention of a potentially...

Dangerous strep infection surging in the UK may be spreading in US

As U.K. health officials grapple with an ongoing surge of invasive strep infections in children, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is investigating whether U.S. children are experiencing a similar uptick in infections. According to the agency's website, CDC is looking into a possible increase in invasive group...

Shingles infection causes man's bladder to burst in rare case

A man who developed a shingles infection around the base of his spine suffered from an unusual complication: His bladder ruptured. According to a report of the case, published earlier this year in the journal Infection and Drug Resistance, the 77-year-old patient had been taking antiviral and pain-relieving medications for...

10 bizarre medical case reports from 2022

Sometimes people develop ailments so mysterious they baffle doctors. These medical cases can make scientists question everything they thought they knew about the human body and the diseases that afflict it. These 10 reports published in 2022 chronicle a variety of odd — and often disconcerting — medical cases so...

A man went to the doctor about a cough. It turns out, he had a 6-inch mass in his chest.

An otherwise healthy man developed a worrisome cough that persisted for three weeks without any other symptoms. It turns out, the cough was triggered by a nearly 7-inch-long (17.2 centimeters) mass pushing against his right lung. According to a description of the case, published Oct. 30 in the Journal of...